“I entered skilled nursing as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). During this role, I developed love and compassion for the elderly. It gave me an opportunity to learn who each of these people were, hear their stories, and listen to the words of wisdom they often imparted to me. They encouraged me to continue to grow and make a difference in long-term care. As I continued in my healthcare journey, there were various leaders who believed in me and continued to provide opportunities and experiences. I continued to grow from one role to the next all while expanding my education of the field. I am thankful for each role that I’ve held through the years. Each member of the nursing team is important and needed, but the role of a CNA is invaluable. They are the backbone of the long-term care industry. They are often the unsung heroes that become more like family to a Resident than a caregiver. We honor and give gratitude to those CNA’s that answer the call every single day and make unmeasurable impact.”

CEO, Bernie McGuinness

During National Nurses Week, take time to celebrate the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale! Her endeavors to improve the aspect of healthcare has greatly shaped the quality of care by nurses in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Currently, there are nurses all around the world putting their lives on the line to help stop the spread of COVID-19. It’s clear that Florence Nightingale’s impact on healthcare also helped pave the way for modern-day nurses and healthcare professionals to follow suit.

“With nurses around the world on the front lines of a global pandemic, it’s a poignant time to reflect on how Nightingale’s legacy laid the groundwork for their heroic work in hospitals today.” Says Greta Westwood, CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation. “She never took no for an answer – anything was possible.”

Also known as “The Lady with the Lamp”, Florence Nightingale started her nursing career in London, and later became appointed as the head nurse of the 1854 Crimean War. Nightingale’s passion and determination set her apart from others and got her the famous nickname “Lady with the Lamp” for checking on her patients via lamplight during the war. Not only did she care for her patients’ health, but she also often wrote letters to soldiers’ loved ones on their behalf.

The “Angel of the Crimea” made it her goal to lower death rates by improving hygiene practices in hospitals. She created numerous patient services that improved each patient’s quality of care while admitted in the hospital. She oversaw “invalid’s kitchen” where she set out food plans for patients that had dietary requirements. She also secured a laundry area so patients could have clean bed sheets and towels.

After the Crimean War, Nightingale wrote a book called Matters Affecting the Health, Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army to share her observations and experiences while tending wounded soldiers. In 1857, the War Office’s administrative department was completely reconstruction due to Nightingale’s book and her experiences during the Crimean War, reforming several military hospitals that were under very poor conditions. (History.com Editors 2009)

In August of 1910, Nightingale became ill and was battling with heart failure. She died a week later at her home in London, bringing her life to an end at 90 years old. (History.com Editors 2009) Two years after her death, the Florence Nightingale Medal was created by the International Committee of the Red Cross, dedicated to be given to exceptional nurses every 2 years. In 1965, International Nurses Day was also created, residing on Nightingale’s birthday to continue celebrating her accomplishments. (Alexander 2018)

Despite her unexpected death, her legacy continues to live on at the Florence Nightingale Museum, which is located at the exact same spot of the original Nightingale Training School for Nurses. The museum holds over 2,000 artifacts to memorialize the mother of modern nursing. (History.com Editors 2009)

Florence Nightingale’s legacy is important to note during significant time for nurses courageously fighting on the frontlines during the pandemic. Notes Westwood, “Florence would be so proud of what nurses have managed to achieve during the pandemic.” (Haynes 2020)

References:

https://time.com/5835150/florence-nightingale-legacy-nurses/

http://history.com/topics/womens-history/florence-nightingale-1https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florence-nightingale

We are preparing for an amazing celebration of National Nurses Week this year! Many companies are showing their gratitude for nurses and healthcare workers by offering awesome deals and freebies during Nurses Week and throughout the year. Whether you are a healthcare worker looking for a good deal or you’re shopping for a healthcare hero in your life, check out these great deals valid for the entire month of May for Nurses Week 2022!

Food & Drinks

• Mrs. Fields – Take a look online at this sweet selection of cookies in the Heroes Collection of cookie tins, which honors healthcare workers.
• Outback Steakhouse – Grab a hot meal and a big thank you! Show your industry identification to get 10% off your bill. The discount is not available via ordering online.
• Texas de Brazil – Enjoy a night or lunch out with a delicious selection of steaks (salads too!) and save 15% with a valid badge or ID.

Retail

• Amazon – Curl up with a selection of four free medical drama books, specially curated to celebrate nurses.
• Adidas – Receive 30% off in-store and on the Adidas website, and 20% off at factory outlet stores, when you verify your status as a nurse with ID.me.
• All Seasons Uniforms – Spruce up your closet with 20% off all medical apparel, such as scrubs, lab coats, and cleanroom clothing. Use discount code NURSE20.
• ASICS – Medical professionals and first responders, including nurses, physicians, police officers, and firefighters, can enjoy 40% off ASICS products. When you verify your healthcare worker status using SheerID, you will receive a on-time-use promo code.
• Brooklyn Bedding – Don’t snooze on this offer. Get 25% off and free shipping on your entire order of mattresses, pillows, sheets, and/or foundations. Verify your eligibility via ID.me during checkout.
• Lenovo – Need to upgrade your technology? Take an extra 5% off products sitewide, excluding doorbuster deals and select clearance products. Verify your healthcare worker status with ID.me during checkout.
• L.L. Bean – Enjoy 15% off one purchase after verifying your employment status through SheerID. This discount is valid on merchandise purchases are llbean.com, retail stores, or by phone.
• Lululemon – Receive 15% off in-store or online purchases.
• Nike – All medical professionals and first responders in the US are eligible for a 10% discount. Verify your profession as a nurse with SheerID to get a one-time-use promo code.
• Purple – Take 10% off any order purchased at purple.com or Purple retail showrooms, after verifying employment status through SheerID. Click on the “Verify Eligibility” button to start the process. Once approved, you will receive a single-use promotional code to use at checkout.
• Ring – Stay safe with a 20% discount savings on select Ring Doorbell products.
• Rothy’s – Enjoy some cool comfort with 20% off a pair of washable shoes. Verify your nurse status and claim the savings at online checkout.
• Under Armour – Take advantage of 20% off at UA.com and in UA Brand House stores. Choose the Military and First Responder Discount at checkout, and then verify your status as a nurse with ID.me.
• Verizon – You and your loved ones can get a Start Unlimited plan (with unlimited talk, text, and data) from $30 per line with four lines. That’s an offer the whole family can enjoy!
• Vineyard Vines – Save 15% on all apparel with a verified medical ID.

Travel

• Budget – Available through the ID.me shop, Budget is offering a discount of up to 25% for nurses. Create an ID.me account or sign in to enjoy this offer.
• Enterprise Rent-a-Car – Similar to the Budget discount, nurses, military members, and teachers can take up to 25% off their rental car costs with Enterprise. An ID.me account is required to access this discount.
• National – Rounding out the trio of rental car companies’ offers for nurses through ID.me, National “lets you choose any car in the aisle and go” with up to 25% off.

In addition to this month’s discounts and freebies, Majestic Care is proud to partner with Panda Perks to give our Care Team members 24/7 access to discounts and perks on the brands you love! Give us a call to learn more.

Diagnostic Testing

Diagnostic testing is intended to identify current infection in individuals and should be performed on anyone that has signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and/or following recent known or suspected exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Examples of diagnostic testing include:

• Testing anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19
• Testing vaccinated and unvaccinated people who were exposed to someone with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19

Screening Testing

Screening tests are intended to identify people with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic and do not have known, suspected, or reported exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Screening helps to identify unknown cases so that measures can be taken to prevent further transmission.

Examples of screening include testing:

• Employees in a workplace setting
• Students, faculty, and staff in a school setting
• A person before or after travel
• Someone at home who does not have symptoms associated with COVID-19 and no known exposures to someone with COVID-19

Public Health Surveillance Testing

Public health surveillance is the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. See CDC’s Introduction to Public Health Surveillance.

Public health surveillance testing is intended to monitor community- or population-level outbreaks of disease, or to characterize the incidence and prevalence of disease. Surveillance testing is performed on de-identified specimens, and thus, results are not linked to individual people. Public health surveillance testing results cannot be used for individual decision-making.

Public health surveillance testing may sample a certain percentage of a specific population to monitor for increasing or decreasing prevalence, or to determine the population effect from community interventions such as social distancing. An example of public health surveillance testing is when a state public health department develops a plan to randomly select and sample a percentage of all people in a city on a rolling basis to assess local infection rates and trends.

Regulatory Requirements for Diagnostic, Screening, and Public Health Surveillance Testing

Any laboratory or testing site that performs diagnostic or screening testing must have a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certificate and meet all applicable CLIA requirements. For more information, see the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CLIA websiteexternal icon. Tests used for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic or screening testing must have received an Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or be offered under the policies in FDA’s Policy for COVID-19 Testsexternal icon.

Tests used for SARS-CoV-2 public health surveillance on de-identified human specimens do not need to meet FDA and CLIA requirements for diagnostic and screening testing.

Reporting Diagnostic, Screening, and Public Health Surveillance Testing Results

Both diagnostic and screening testing results should be reported to the people whose specimens were tested and/or to their healthcare providers.

In addition, laboratories that perform diagnostic and screening testing must report positive diagnostic and screening test results to the local, state, tribal, or territory health department in accordance with Public Law 116-136, § 18115(a), the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As of April 4, 2022, laboratories are no longer required to report negative results for non-NAAT tests (rapid or antigen test results). The Department of Health and Human Services published guidance on COVID-19 Pandemic Response, Laboratory Data Reporting: CARES Act Section 18115pdf iconexternal icon that specifies what data, in addition to test results, laboratories and testing sites should collect and electronically report.

Public health surveillance testing results cannot be reported directly to the people whose specimens have been tested and are not reported to their healthcare providers. Public health surveillance testing results (test results that are de-identified) can be reported in aggregate to local, state, tribal, or territory health departments upon request. Results from testing that is performed outside of a CLIA-certified facility or without an FDA-authorized test can only be reported to a health department if those results are used strictly for public health surveillance purposes, and not used for individual decision making.

Summary of Testing for COVID-19

	Diagnostic	Screening	Public Health Surveillance
Symptomatic	Yes	No	N/A
Unvaccinated or vaccinated with known or suspected exposure	Yes	No	N/A
Unvaccinated and Asymptomatic without Known or Reported Suspected Exposure	No	Yes	N/A
Characterize Incidence and Prevalence in the Community	N/A	N/A	Yes
Testing of Personally Identifiable Specimens	Yes	Yes	No
Results may be Returned to Individuals	Yes	Yes	No
Results Returned in Aggregate to Requesting Institution	No	No	Yes
Results Reported to State Public Health Departments	Yes	Yes	If requested
Testing can be Performed in CLIA-Certified Laboratory	Yes	Yes	Yes
Testing can be Performed in a Non-CLIA-Certified Laboratory	No	No	Yes
Test System Must be FDA Authorized or be Offered under the Policies in FDA’s Guidance	Yes	Yes	No

To learn more, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/resources/sars-cov2-testing-strategies.html

Wurtland Nursing and Rehabilitation is thrilled to share resident Misti Hall’s Success Story!

When Misti first admitted to Wurtland Nursing and Rehab, this was the closest facility to home for her and she had planned on a short stay for rehab and antibiotic therapy. Unfortunately, her infection spread and those plans changed as she was forced to have an amputation. This was a difficult time for her with such a big change and challenge in her life that left her feeling defeated and hopeless. With the continued encouragement from therapy and fellow residents, she has dug deep and found a strong will and motivation to be the best version of herself she can be! She has made leaps and bounds and her positive attitude has been motivation for others as well. Misti continues to work hard and make progress as she plans on discharging home in a few weeks. She is excited to return home to her son and get back to a normal life. Congratulations to Misti and her Care Team on their success!

Wurtland Nursing & Rehabilitation is proud to recognize resident Evelyn Blair’s Success Story!

Ms. Evelyn Blair was admitted to Wurtland Nursing & Rehab in February of 2021. She had multiple comorbidities and was just not her normal self. Ms. Blair’s ultimate goal during her stay was to become strong enough to return home to her family. She began diligently working with therapy and our Care Team members to restore her health and get her back to her normal self. While working to build strength, she acclimated very well to our community. She became close with many of her fellow peers, helped out out with activities and meal services, and was always dancing throughout the hallways. We are very proud to share that Evelyn was able to return home to Michigan with the help of her daughter. All of our Care Team members and residents will truly miss her smiling face. Congratulations to Evelyn and her Care Team on their success!

Attention Care Team Members

Bluegrass Consulting Group centers remain vigilant to living our Mission that creates a magical culture through the hearts of our Care Team Members. Each Bluegrass Consulting Group center prioritizes the health, safety, and well-being of all residents, Care Team members and family members within our community. This pandemic has seen unprecedented challenges for the healthcare industry, our nation, and our world. In particular, those challenges presented to Post-Acute Care, with all the changes in regulations, knowledge, and directives, the organization has sought to be in full compliance and a leader in the healthcare industry. The recent federal vaccine mandate is the most recent example of how we are asking our organization to rise to the challenge and lead the way. Through much communication, engagement, and research, we are announcing that all Bluegrass centers will embrace the requirement of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep our residents, Care Team members, and family members safe.

Effective October 1^st, 2021 – all new hires will be required to be vaccinated.

Effective November 1^st, 2021 – all Care Team Members and contracted employees will be required to be vaccinated.

The safety, security, and health of our residents and Care Team members is our number one concern, especially during this pandemic. We are assured that this requirement will provide the best approach to quality care for our communities and those residents we have the privilege to serve. We will continue to monitor updates and governmental direction regarding the mandate and will reserve the right to change this policy, if needed, to comply with all federal mandates. If you have questions or believe you qualify for a Medical or Religious exemption, you are encouraged to speak to your Human Resource Representative or Executive Director. All exemption requests will need to be submitted no later than October 15, 2021.  

We continue to remain in this fight against COVID-19 together and our gratitude for all the support, hard work and commitment that is shown daily is overwhelming. You are what makes the Bluegrass difference.

Sincerely,

Bernard McGuinness, CEO

Bluegrass Consulting Group

Our Response to COVID-19

To Our Residents and Family Members:

We know some of you may be concerned about the spread of COVID-19 (the new coronavirus) being reported in the media and how it may impact us here at the center.

Our top priority is keeping our residents and Care Team Members safe and we feel these measures are needed to ensure their safety. We understand that connecting with family members is incredibly important and there are a variety of other ways you might consider connecting with them. These may include telephone, email, text or through Skype or Facebook. Our Care Team Members are happy to help facilitate these alternative methods.

Our center is following the recommendations of the CDC on prevention steps, including following strict hand-washing procedures, and in many circumstances, wearing gowns and gloves when interacting with residents who are sick. We also are staying up-to-date with the CDC recommendations as they are updated. In addition, the center is in close contact with the local and state health department and are following their guidance.

We will notify you if any residents or Care Team Members are diagnosed with COVID-19. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Executive Director.

Wurtland Defense Program

Ensuring residents are cared for in a safe and healthy environment is our greatest responsibility. 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. As part of the “Wurtland Defense” program, we follow a scientific approach using rigorous measures and our industry’s best products. We closely monitor recommendations from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our extensive efforts include:

Weekly COVID-19 Testing: All Care Team Members are tested at a minimum of every week.

Sign-In Kiosks and Temperature Monitoring: We utilize a digital system to screen guests and Care Team Members for symptoms of acute respiratory illness (e.g., fever, cough, difficulty breathing) before entering our community.

Personal Protective Equipment: Care Team Members and residents have access to masks (surgical, N95), gloves, gowns, face shields, and hand sanitizer. Care Team Members are required to wear a mask at all times.

Recycled Air Ionizer: Air Ionizers are installed directly into air ducts, producing positive and negative ions that neutralize harmful pollutants and odors in our buildings.

Plexiglass at Check-in and Nurses Stations: Plexiglass Shields at reception and nurses stations provide a physical barrier to reduce exposure and cross-contamination.

Electrostatic Sprayers: Sprayers provide a uniform and wraparound layer of germ-killing power, providing maximum efficiency disinfecting surfaces.

Deep-Clean Sanitization: Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces or objects to a safe level.

Daily Communications with Families: Our automated system keeps families and loved ones informed on COVID19 cases.

Pam was a previous resident of Wurtland Nursing and Rehabilitation and was able to return home! After experiencing an illness at home, Pam decided to return and become a long term care resident. We are so happy to have her and be able to care for her!

Lelia Kilburn came to Wurtland Nursing & Rehabilitation after multiple stents in the hospital. Through her hard work and determination to get well, she is now exceeding and remains stable in her care.

Great Job, Lelia!